Working from home can be awesome!
As we enter this "new" era of work, there can be many challenges and disruptions to your continuity. Working from home most of my career has allowed me to get a better understanding and modify for success where necessary. Here are some tips for working from home during these times:
1. KNOW that there are many advantages from working at your home office: Less travel time, more focus, accessibility, cost savings (eating meals out), we work more since we are in that environment (production + efficiency), utilizing the newest tech, more time for education and driving up your knowledge and value, your family/significant other time.
2. Create new routines to increase production. Adjust your time to wake-up, send emails, make calls, schedule meetings.
3. Make your workspace YOUR workspace. Customize your surroundings, get the perfect chair so you are always comfortable and put as many trinkets, pictures and items around you that are important to you for viewing throughout the day.
4. Move. With working at home comes less movement. There are many reasons to move, let’s just use health for the most important reason. When you leave the house, you are moving most of day, but at home there is a couch and a bed that are waving at you throughout the day. So, it's up to you to schedule 3 20-minute walks throughout the day to keep your circulation going for health and mental wellness.
5. Eat. The opportunity to eat incredibly well has just plopped on your lap. You can now plan your meals and times for them with better accuracy than ever before. Add that to moving more and suddenly you can be on track for being in the best health of your life, while having unlimited energy to accel at work. Obesity is real, even when not working from home. So, get rid of the junk food and sweet drinks.
6. Noises. Here is a big challenge for most people. Having all these new noises interrupt your processes can be very frustrating. Remember, you may have others that are home going through this very same challenge, not to mention that “cabin fever” is a real thing. Call a meeting and explain very nicely how you require certain levels of quiet so you can succeed in your job, so you are able to help support everyone else, especially during phone and video meetings. Be very grateful for all the new noises in the background as they are all coming from a place of love and one day you will wish you could still hear them, I promise.
7. Deliver more value, be available to everyone at all times and provide solutions as much as possible.
8. Be PRESENT to your customers, even if they are not buying today. Like everyone else, our customers are uncertain. You have the opportunity to help guide them during these times, without motive and build a much deeper connection. This is a rare opportunity that will help you generate longevity, and we all know what that means.
9. GRATITUDE: We are experiencing one of the largest displacement events in the history of our lives. It’s very important to understand the principle of “every day above ground is a great day”. So, when you are ready to explode on someone for making noise, getting anxious about what you are seeing on the news and are worried about your future simply do your best to KNOW and FOCUS on all that you have and really obsess about it. Because YOU do currently have a lot of reasons to be GRATEFUL and THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
10. Empathy: This is new, and we are all in this together. Practice some of the qualities of the person that you want to be now that you have the infrastructure to support that.